Kentucky names first statewide SANE coordinator to expand rural access

# Overview Kentucky has its first statewide Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) coordinator. The role was created under a law that took effect in July. The coordinator's mission: expand access to trained SANE clinicians across the state and reduce the current concentration of services in a few urban regions.

# Who is the coordinator Melissa Gilpin was selected by the Kentucky Board of Nursing for the position. She has practiced as a SANE nurse for more than 20 years, earning her SANE license in 2005. At the time she received her license, her license number suggested she was among the earlier SANE licensees in Kentucky.

# Current SANE landscape in Kentucky SANE nursing has been present in Kentucky since 1996. The state now counts more than 500 SANE nurses. Those clinicians are concentrated primarily in Lexington, Louisville, and Northern Kentucky, leaving many rural communities with limited local access to SANE services and forensic exams.

# Coordinator's priorities Gilpin has outlined practical objectives for the role:

• Expand SANE healthcare availability in rural parts of the state so people in small communities can access specialized care without traveling far.
• Make SANE training more accessible and affordable so nurses can gain the needed education without long-distance travel or high costs.
• Build programs that are sustainable across Kentucky to increase the statewide number of trained SANE nurses.

Gilpin framed the work as patient-centered, noting that specially trained nurses provide trauma-informed care and understand the medical and forensic needs of sexual violence survivors.

# Selection and support Gilpin for the coordinator position. Kelly Jenkins, the board's executive director, cited Gilpin's experience and existing statewide contacts as reasons she is well-suited to the job.

# Practical implications for rural communities If successful, Gilpin's agenda would change how survivors in rural counties access care. Presence of trained SANE clinicians locally may reduce travel burdens, shorten waits for forensic exams, and improve survivors' confidence in receiving appropriate and trauma-informed care in their communities.

# Near-term steps to watch Key actions to look for as the coordinator begins work:

• Deployment plan for training: where and when localized SANE courses will be offered and whether tuition or travel costs will be subsidized.
• Recruitment strategy: how the state will encourage nurses in understaffed regions to pursue SANE certification.
• Program sustainability measures: partnerships, funding sources, and timelines that keep local programs running beyond initial training cycles.

# Contact and reporting The appointment and Gilpin's goals were reported by Annie Brown of LEX18. Readers with local leads or ideas were invited to contact Brown at annie.brown@wlex.tv.